The thing with Günther Jauch was barely a week ago, but it is already a classic. “Günther Jauch had himself vaccinated,” tweeted the Federal Ministry of Health proudly a few days ago, plus a photo of the TV presenter with a plaster on his arm. Günther Jauch is not allowed to be vaccinated at all: He had Corona and has to wait six months after the infection like everyone who has recovered. A mistake, of course. And yet a symbol of the situation in which politics are these days: It wants to convince skeptics of the corona vaccination – and sometimes cuts a clumsy figure.
In the first few months of the vaccination campaign, the focus of attention was on those willing to vaccinate, who often had to wait excruciatingly long because of the scarce vaccine quantities. But now the moment is approaching when the vaccine and deadlines will be left. At the same time, the more contagious delta variant means that a particularly high vaccination rate is required to keep the infection process under control. Therefore, those who are skeptical about a vaccination are now the focus. You should be convinced to vaccinate – just how?
There are spades rewards in the USA
In the USA, this topic is approached capitalistically as usual: states, municipalities and companies offer all kinds of spades bonuses. In Ohio and New York State, for example, there are lotteries that give away prizes of up to five million dollars to vaccinated people. California donated a total of 116 million dollars for the vaccination lottery. The drugstore chain CVS is giving away Caribbean cruises, and the state of West Virginia is offering younger people a free $ 100 security in exchange for a vaccination. Supermarkets attract with discounts, the transport services Uber and Lyft chauffeur free of charge to the vaccination appointment, the airline United beckons with free flights.
In Germany that would not only be a severe cultural break, it would also be legally difficult; advertising in the medical sector is subject to strict rules. When asked about the German strategy, the Federal Ministry of Health refers to the “Sleeves up” campaign with which they want to convince people – that is, the one for which, in addition to the unvaccinated Günther Jauch, the actress Uschi Glas and the aging “Baywatch” – Star David Hasselhoff has won. In addition, efforts are made to counter false information on the Internet with accurate facts.
A plan that experts are not very enthusiastic about: “Fake news spreads incredibly quickly,” says Alexandra Trudnowski, managing director of MW Office, one of the largest agencies for healthcare communication in Germany. In order to counteract false information that unsettles many people, speed is crucial – with Corona, however, government communication was far too slow. “This creates a gap between people’s need for information and reliable information from official bodies,” says Trudnowski. “This gap is filled by conspiracy theories – and once they’re online, it’s hard to stop the momentum.”
But not only the sluggishness of communication attracts criticism. Someone who earns his money by influencing public opinion and therefore only gives information without naming names sees the problem primarily in the fact that the messages about the corona vaccination are too elitist: “There are politicians and scientists speaking. But they represent exactly the authority that vaccine skeptics do not trust. ” The downward-looking attitude is also evident in the selection of the sleeve-up testimonials: “Actors, moderators, stars – these are people in a privileged life situation. But you need role models with whom you can identify. People with normal jobs and normal doubts that explain why they decided to vaccinate. “
At least one aspect of the German strategy seems promising to the experts: the focus on in-company vaccinations, from which Health Minister Jens Spahn hopes for “group dynamics”. Vaccination in the company creates social role models from one’s own environment; in this way you could reach groups that would otherwise not be vaccinated. The focus on convenience is also promising – district vaccinations and mobile offers lower inhibitions. There could be more: Other countries put on “vaccination concerts” to reach young people and make restaurant visits as annoying as possible for those who have not been vaccinated.
Not only politics, but also the vaccine manufacturers themselves have different communication strategies. Astra Zeneca, for example, has hardly communicated in public, Biontech, on the other hand, aggressively offers information for patients and stages its founders publicly. “Everyone now knows the couple Türeci and Sahin,” says Werberin Trudnowski. “That was an incredibly smart move to build trust.”